Winner of T S Eliot Award for Poetry Announced

Chair of judges, Ruth Padel, described Jackself as 'a firework of a book; inventive, exciting and outstanding in its imaginative range and depth of feeling'.

One of the most original books of poetry to appear in the last decade, Jackself spins a kind of 'fictionalized autobiography' through the many 'Jacks' of our folklore, legend, phrase and fable - everyman Jacks and no one Jacks, Jackdaw, Jack-O-Lantern, Jack Sprat, Cheapjack and Jack Frost.

Jacob received an Eric Gregory Award in 2002, and has previously been shortlisted for the T S Eliot Prize for both The Brink and The Havocs. He was named one of the ‘Next Generation’ of the 20 best new poets in Britain in 2004.

Described as ‘the prize most poets want to win’ (Sir Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate) and ‘the world’s top poetry award’ (Independent), The T. S. Eliot Prize is awarded annually to the author of the best new collection of poetry published in the UK and Ireland.